Performing 66 percent better than Model National Energy guidelines suggest, a new state-of-the-art corporate headquarters in downtown Winnipeg is setting new standards for commercial office buildings.

"With the Copenhagen Summit having come to a dismally weak resolution on global emissions targets, and with Canada's even more appallingly vague and fidgety position on the issue of climate change, many Manitobans are in a celebratory mood for their recent performance in this regard. Amidst this weakness on ecological futures, the province is home to ex-premier-turned-ambassador Gary Doer, known internationally for his strong track record on the environment. He was flown to Copenhagen to rescue the federal government's dwindling hopes of escaping the talks unscathed. More significantly, the energy-rich province is also home to the Best Tall Building in America in 2009 awarded by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), based in Chicago.

Located in downtown Winnipeg, the 22-storey headquarters for Manitoba Hydro was designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects in conjunction with Smith Carter Architects and Engineers of Winnipeg, and climate engineers Transsolar of Germany. Opened earlier this year with its LEED Platinum target firmly in sight, Manitoba Hydro Place is proving to be one of the most efficient passive-energy office towers in North America."